A dynamical law for slow crack growth in polycarbonate films

TL;DR

This paper experimentally investigates slow crack growth in polycarbonate films under constant stress, uncovering a dynamical law linking crack velocity to material and geometric parameters, integrating plastic zone theory and empirical length dependence.

Contribution

It introduces a new dynamical law for crack growth in polycarbonate, combining plastic zone models, Eyring's law, and empirical length effects.

Findings

Crack velocity depends on stress and crack length.

A dynamical law accurately describes slow crack growth.

Plastic zone and residual elastic effects are key factors.

Abstract

We study experimentally the slow growth of a single crack in polycarbonate films submitted to uniaxial and constant imposed stress. For this visco-plastic material, we uncover a dynamical law that describes the dependence of the instantaneous crack velocity with experimental parameters. The law involves a Dugdale-Barenblatt static description of crack tip plastic zones associated to an Eyring's law and an empirical dependence with the crack length that may come from a residual elastic field.